Rhetorical Analysis: The Audacity Of Hope

“The Audacity of Hope” means to make bold decisions in order to inspire hope in the eyes of others. Reflecting on the title, Obama successfully explains this idea of the audacity of hope to the citizens of the United States in a unique style by using syntax and rhetorical devices. In order to convince the audience to vote for John Kerry, he appeals to them with a story of how America has offered opportunity to his parents and the nation should unite as one regardless of different beliefs and ideas. Throughout the paragraphs discussing America’s opportunities, his speech begins to give the audience a feeling of sympathy and inspiration through different points. Throughout Obama’s speech he uses anaphora, segregating styles, convoluted sentences,

and pathos to persuade people to vote for John Kerry as president.
Obama’s use of repetition through anaphora not only helps his appeal to the audience, but strengthens his ability to emphasize his points.

Throughout most of his paragraphs, he utilizes this technique to the fullest so people will understand and feel the need to vote for John Kerry. For example when Obama starts off his sentences with, “John Kerry believes in…”, Obama emphasizes the actions and ideas Kerry has to improve the nation, such as better health care and taking care of issues through other methods besides war. The use of anaphora enhances Kerry’s ideas of improved health care and Constitutional freedoms, which causes the democrats to consider supporting John Kerry because they may agree with his ideas. When Obama states Kerry’s promises as president, he considers the votes of the citizens because they are affected by his plans toward the future of the

nation.
By using the style of segregated sentences, Obama has no issues emphasizing reasons why citizens should vote for John Kerry. His sentence structure and organization throughout parts of his speech play a significant role in his ability to persuade the audience because it allows listeners to quickly understand why Kerry is a better leader for the country. Along with anaphora, Obama combines this segregated style to make sentences that stand out and show passion. For instance, when he talks about the threats of the nation and terrorism, he states,”They must be pursued. And they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.” Obama uses very short sentences to emphasize how Kerry wants to rid any threats as swift as possible. Aside from talking about America’s enemies, he also alludes to how Kerry served in Vietnam to protect the country he loves. By mentioning enemies, the audience would feel concerned but comforted to know that a man who served the military plans to protect the country even more as president. His use of diction helps convince others that Kerry will take care of the nation’s issues, from poverty to war.
To show credibility and transition information between ideas, Obama uses convoluted sentences to improve upon his ideas.

Obama’s credibility is recognized with convoluted sentences because he tends to reference his own opinions or make allusions to the history of the United States. To catch the attention of the audience, he mentions the issues John Kerry plans to fix to improve the future of the nation. To convince democrats to vote for Kerry, Obama wants the people to unite with one common idea by saying, “We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.” The use of a convoluted sentence helps everyone understand that being an American means being one regardless of what you believe in or how you see the world. Describing how “we are one people” to the nation

is
important in persuading the audience to vote because Obama makes people feel they should stay together with those who consider themselves American. If everyone votes for Kerry, then the idea that citizens are one as a nation are willing to protect each other will become true because they feel a strong leader will take actions that the nation will agree with.
Pathos plays an important role when persuading the people to vote because they would feel sympathy and want someone who believes in their ideas. One example of his appeal to the audience is when he talks about how he cares for each individual by stating, “If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child.” By saying, “that matters to me,” he gives an example of an individual and includes his own opinion of the matter. By including his own opinion, people who have hope for the future of the nation are able to believe in Obama, who in turns believes in John Kerry to take care of the nation’s future.
In order to inspire and persuade the audience, Obama utilizes structural and repetitional techniques to convey the idea that John Kerry should be president. Rather than talking all about one person, he mentions his own stories and his own thoughts on the nation, to appeal to them in ways that no ordinary speech can do. As he gives a speech to the democrats at the convention, he gives a speech to the nation.